


Intro to Alternative Selves

by jabedalien



Series: Modern Vampirism [3]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Timelines, Artist Abed, Brad Bakshi - Freeform, But Darkest Timeline?, Crossover, Darkest Timeline, Drug Abuse, M/M, Mentioned: - Freeform, Minor Character Death, Overdose, Vampire Abed, Warning u regardless, there are other timelines?, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25866997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jabedalien/pseuds/jabedalien
Summary: This is a part of my Modern Vampirism Series, reading the first part would be pretty helpful to you but not needed. You also don't need to have seen Mythic Quest to read, I tried to get all the necessary info in here.
Relationships: Abed Nadir/Jeff Winger
Series: Modern Vampirism [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866472
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	Intro to Alternative Selves

**Author's Note:**

> This is longgg overdue but I have been messing around with this idea for months now. I don't know if it's a crossover as much as just a weird timeline thing? I don't know but either way here it is :)

“Did that feel good?” Abed asked as he pulled away from Jeff’s neck, fingers grazing the marks he’d made. He knew the answer, but he still liked to ask anyway, just remind himself sometimes.

“Amazing.” Jeff grinned. “You’re magic.”

Abed rested his head on Jeff’s chest. “Not quite magic, I don’t think, just undead.”

“You know what _would_ be magic?” Jeff asked, tripping on the words a little.

“What?” Abed asked, amused.

“If you made another dreamatorium.”

Abed laughed. “I haven’t had one in years. Do you want to go in it or something?”

“Not really. I just think _you_ need one.”

“Okay, Jeff.” Abed said back. Jeff was pretty entertaining when he was like this, so Abed usually just let him talk and went along with whatever he said. “We don’t exactly have an empty room though.”

“Maybe… Maybe a closet or something.” Jeff said, pressing his hands through Abed’s hair while he spoke. “Hah. There’s a joke there somewhere.”

“There definitely is a joke there and I’m happy you’re not sober enough to make it.” Abed said with a smirk.

“Tommorrow I’ll think of it. Love you.” Jeff said.

“Love you too. You really think I should make it though?” he added, but by the time he said it Jeff was already asleep.

Abed spent the next few hours till morning mostly sleepless, laying around thinking about the idea. The last time he had a dreamatorium was when he was still living in 303, and he actually hadn’t thought about it much in years. He realized they didn’t use the coat closet in the apartment that much anyways, and that he could easily pull the racks out of it and repaint it. Actually, it probably wouldn’t take more than a few hours and a trip to the hardware store. Abed wasn’t sure why, but part of him just _knew_ he should listen to Jeff on this one. By the time Jeff woke up for work in the morning, Abed had long decided this was going to be his day’s project.

“Hey I think you were right. That I should build another dreamatorium.” Abed said as Jeff got dressed.

“When the hell did I say that?”

“Last night, before you fell asleep.”

“Take what I say when I’m high off you with a grain of salt, Abed. I remember less than half of all those conversations.”

“Well you told me I should build a dreamatorium in a closet.”

“So you can finally come out as a huge nerd?” Jeff asked as he tied his shoelaces.

“There’s the joke you promised.” Abed grinned. “You weren’t able to think of one last night.”

“I’m always happy to deliver on forgotten promises. Do you really want to do it though?”

“I have a weird feeling about it, like it’s something I’m supposed to be doing.”

“You’ve got good instincts, Abed.” Jeff told him. “If you think you should do it, I’m powerless to stop you.”

“You’re probably right.” Abed said back. “Can I use the coat closet?”

“Sure.” Jeff said, stepping over the bed and leaning down to kiss Abed goodbye. “Just don’t fuck with the clothes I have in there.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Abed waved as Jeff left.

…

Abed opened the door to the coat closet, inspecting it. They each had a few pairs of shoes on the floor, and a few things hanging, two of Jeff’s suit jackets and a heavier coat he wore in the winter, plus a few of Abed’s zip-up hoodies. He brought them into the closet in their bedroom, tossing his stuff onto the bed and carefully hanging Jeff’s things up without disturbing any of his other clothes.

It only took a screwdriver and a little force to pull out the bar running across the closet, and Abed discarded it. It looked sort of spacious once it was empty, not quite a full room but much less cramped than that box had been. He went out to buy paint and orange tape and covered the walls in a dark green color, getting even more paint on his t-shirt and jeans than was already there from his previous projects. When it dried he measured the tape out and stuck it on.

Once it was done Abed stepped inside and closed the door, suddenly unsure of what he actually wanted to do in here. It had been years since he’d owned one, and he found himself forgetting exactly _how_ it used to work. He looked up to the ceiling and said the first thing he thought of, just to try it out.

“Render Environment: Darkest Timeline.”

To Abed’s disappointment, the room stayed the same. He was about to try again, maybe with something easier, like the study room or something from a movie, when a voice rang out from beside him and made him jump.

“Long time no see.”

Abed turned to the voice in disbelief. “Holy shit. It worked.”

“How’s it hanging, Lame Abed?”

“You look different.” Abed said, looking Evil Abed up and down. He’s clearly kept aging, which was sort of uncanny, considering Abed would be living in his late twenties permanently. He’d lost the goatee, which seemed like a good choice, and his hair was longer and a bit curlier than Abed’s, messy and uncombed but somehow he still looked put together. Abed’s uniform for life had always been skinny jeans, graphic tees, and sweatshirts or cardigans, but Evil Abed had on a soft sweater with a button-up underneath.

“You look about the same,” Evil Abed said, examining him closer.

“One key difference.” Abed told him, grinning to flash his fangs.

Evil Abed took a step back. “What the hell is your deal?”

“Vampire. Got turned a few years back.”

“Weird. I thought Leonard was a vampire in our timeline, but I never knew for sure. At least I can call you Vampire Abed now.”

“Are you still Evil Abed?”

“Well I’m still a little evil, but you can just call me Brad.”

“You changed our—your name?” Abed asked.

“Yeah. Being Abed got boring. I’m trying again as someone new.” He said, with a sharp grin that was decidedly not Abed-like at all.

“It’s that bad over there, huh?” Abed asked.

“We can get into it later. Where the hell are we?” He asked, stepping out of the closet and into the apartment. “This place doesn’t exist in my timeline, or at least I’ve never been to it.”

“This is Jeff and I’s apartment.”

Evil Abed—or Brad, he figured, whipped his head around. “You and Jeff are together?”

“Yeah for a pretty long time now. Since like, two seasons after I last saw you.”

Abed couldn’t read the look he got next, which was a bit concerning. “Like _together_ together?”

“Yep.”

“That’s a long time, are you married or some shit?” Brad asked, making his way around the apartment.

“We’re already soul bonded for eternity and all, so we never actually ended up getting married. Seemed kinda pointless, even though I did like the idea of hyphenating our last names.”

“Jeez, maybe you are still Lame Abed. That’s sappy as fuck.” Brad said, inspecting the photos on the walls.

…

Jeff opened the door to the apartment. “Long day. Britta’s really getting on my nerves with this—” He stopped short when he saw Brad next to Abed, leaning against the countertop like he lived there.

“About that dreamatorium thing? Whatever the hell you were saying last night had some truth to it, cause it worked. He’s here from the darkest timeline.”

“Jeff.” Brad nodded.

“What do you mean it worked?” Jeff questioned.

“I was able to visit him plenty of times, just couldn’t leave his mind.” Brad shrugs. “Now he’s a vampire, and I’m here, physically or whatever. You can’t read into it too much. It's sci-fi, it doesn't matter.” Brad added, gesturing with his hands.

"This isn't even sci-fi." Abed protested, but Brad ignored him.

“When did Evil Abed become Sexy Abed?” Jeff asked, turning to his Abed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Abed said back, punching Jeff in the arm.

Jeff winced and grabbed his bicep. “Screw you Buffy. That hurt like a bitch.” He said, pulling up his sleeve to show a bruise already forming.

“At least you’ve got an arm.” Brad said, raising his eyebrows.

“So I’m not sexy?” Abed asked, clearly still stuck on the comment.

“That isn’t what I was saying.” Jeff defended himself. “He’s clearly just got a whole thing going, with the tight sweaters and being all snarky and shit. At least we know you would’ve aged well.”

Brad smirked. “Happy to hear it’s doing things for you.” He said, walking over to the chair in their living room and propping his feet up. “But don’t call me Abed. I’m Brad now.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jeff asked, but they both ignored him.

“Let’s talk.” Abed said, getting on the couch adjacent to Brad and leaning in. “I’d like to know how your timeline’s doing.”

“Fine by me.” Brad said as Jeff joined them. “What do you wanna know?”

“Where’s your Jeff... Brad?” Jeff asked, his eyes still darting back and forth between the two of them.

“He’s not _my_ anything. But last I checked he was still in Colorado.”

“Being evil?”

“If drinking yourself to death is evil, then totally.”

“Not shocking.” Jeff said. “Was he ever a lawyer again?”

“For a while, yeah. He got Evil Annie out and they were together. She’s been dead a few years now though, and he stopped showing up to work to focus on other some other stuff.”

Jeff and Abed looked at each other, the same question on their minds but neither of them willing to ask.

“Adderall turned to painkillers turned to heroin.” Brad provided. “Overdose not long after. She probably could’ve used that mental hospital.”

“Hey Abe – Brad” Jeff corrected himself. “That’s uh, pretty dark. I’m really sorry.”

“They don’t call us the darkest timeline for nothing.” Brad said, his cynical smirk just looking infinitely sad.

“Well where have you been?” Abed asked, trying to change the subject.

“After the study group fell apart, I realized that without it I sort of had nothing. But then I realized that _Abed_ had nothing. So I could just stop being Abed. A month later I had changed my name to Brad Bakshi, moved out to L.A., and started over.”

“What do you do now?” Abed asked.

“Well do you guys have Mythic Quest in your timeline? The video game?”

“Yes we do.” Abed grinned.

“He’s obsessed with it.” Jeff added.

“You make it?” Abed asked excitedly. “That’s pretty cool.”

“Of course you play it.” Brad rolled his eyes “I’m just the reason nerds like you spend so much money on it.”

“Our version is free.” Abed said.

Brad smirked. “Exactly. I take a perfectly good game and use it to bleed people dry.”

“Would’ve thought you’d be doing something more, I don’t know, creative I guess.” Jeff said. “You’re a whole different kind of vampire.”

“Yeah, a capitalist one. Which is a lot scarier than Marceline over here.”

Something about the comment, about Brad in general, made Abed’s bones feel unsettled. He was clearly Evil Abed, him showing up here proved that, and he knew too much to be anybody else. But he wasn’t _Abed_. He was too mean and quick to a comeback. Brad talked with his hands, smirked and spoke with a cadence Abed’s voice didn’t quite have. But Abed knew there was a real Abed in there, one that was the same as him in pretty much every way that counted.

“You’re playing Jeff.” Abed realized suddenly.

Brad paused and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Brad Bakshi. The whole character. He’s Jeff.”

When he looked at Abed, Brad’s eyes were dark, and the shift in his brow told Abed he’s hit a nerve.

“Early in our first year more than anything, but the personality is all there.” Abed continued. “You couldn’t be Abed, so you took a page out of the Winger handbook. How’d you get the Mythic Quest job?”

“I guess I can’t hide anything from myself,” Brad said, and when Jeff tried to meet his eyes he turned away. “I never even graduated from Greendale. You can imagine how easy it was to forge a degree though.”

Jeff and Abed both nodded in understanding.

“I guess I could have actually worked on the game, but that would require a level of passion I don’t possess. I’m pretty sure I lost every creative bone in my body when the timelines diverged.” Brad said. “And it’s clear you didn’t.” He added, looking at Abed.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve got it.” Brad said. “Whatever it is. Creativity, inspiration, substance. I can see that fucking room from here.”

They all looked towards the door at the end of the hall, wide open to Abed’s cluttered studio. The place was a chaotic mess, to the point where Jeff felt the urge to clean while he was in there, but he’d learned fast not to touch _anything_. The desk was piled high with sketches, snippets of scripts and Abed’s frantic to-do lists. He did everything in there, editing his videos, writing, setting up a backdrop and taking portraits, making weird sculptures he sold on the internet, Jeff had even heard him recording songs on occasion. Not that he’d ever tell Abed about that one, out of fear he might get embarrassed and stop, because Jeff liked listening more than he’d ever admit. The walls in there were so plastered with paintings and photographs that you couldn’t even tell what color they actually were under it all.

“Yeah whatever makes us like that, keeps our thoughts spinning at a million miles an hour, I don’t have it anymore.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.” Abed said pointedly.

“How about the rest of your study group?” Jeff asked, clearly already bracing for the worst.

“Well no one knows where Shirley is.”

“What do you mean?” Abed asked.

“She got a DUI, crashed with the kids in the car, thank god they were all okay but Andre left her and got full custody. No one’s seen her since. Pretty much dropped off the face of the earth.”

“Is she --?” Jeff started to say, but hesitated.

“Dead?” Brad finished. Jeff nodded, and when Abed turned to him it looked like he was going to throw up. “As far as we know she’d alive. She calls Andre on Christmas, apparently. Called me on my birthday once, actually, must have been like three years ago now. She always did used to remember stuff like that.” Brad said wistfully. “I’m assuming you wanna hear about everyone else too.”

“Do we?” Jeff asked.

“Britta’s still a bartender, still has the blue streak. If anything she’s changed the least, actually. I think things were always a little dark for her.” He mused.

“And Troy?” Abed asked, feeling his voice breaking in his throat.

“He’s at Greendale. Losing Annie was tough for all of us, but I think it hurt him and Jeff the most. Troy didn’t realize what we had till it was gone, and he wanted so badly to go back to how things were. The two of them drove themselves crazy trying to figure it out, but I knew it was too late for us, that our timeline was the only one we had. But they couldn’t let it go, and they wanted me to help, but I wouldn’t. I knew it was hopeless, knew that even if it wasn’t we’d never get back what we had. When I left Jeff promised he’d never forgive me, told me I better not come back. Troy didn’t say anything like that but well, I haven’t heard a word from him.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Jeff said, looking at Brad’s face, which had gone sort of blank halfway through the story.

“And we’re only a dice roll apart.” Brad said, and there went that smirk again, the one Jeff knew from all the times he’d used it himself. “But now you’re all caught up.” He finished, standing up and adjusting his pants, giving Jeff a glance when he noticed him looking.

“Do you mind if I check out your place?” Brad asked, tilting his head down the hallway.

“Of course.” Abed said, walking him over and opening the door. Jeff stayed in the living room, figuring he'd give Abed a minute alone with Brad. “Jeff works at Greendale, and I sorta just do my thing in here. I made some movies though, and I make money on the side with all this, so between that and Jeff’s salary we’re set.” He explained.

“So what exactly is _your thing_?” Brad asked, looking around and inspecting the room, but knowing better than to move anything.

“I don’t really know. Being turned really changed the way I look at my work.” Abed said. “I have the time now, so it isn’t all such a rush. I can just make whatever I want and I don’t feel like I’m running out of time. Things are a lot easier to learn now too, which helps.”

“Is this your Annie?” Brad asked, plucking a piece of paper from the desk with a pencil sketch on it. It was a pretty recent one he’d done, using a picture he’d taken of her while they were out to lunch in D.C. when they visited her a few months back. She was laughing at something Troy had said, fingertips pulling at a lock of her hair.

“Yeah, it is.” He said.

Brad didn’t say anything for a second, just ran his fingertip over the side of her face. “Our Annie never got this old, you know.”

Abed felt like a piece of his soul snapped off and fell to the floor. “It’s yours it you want it.” He said, gesturing to the drawing.

Brad didn’t say anything, just neatly folded the page and put it in his pocket. He continued through the room, asking Abed about the things he spotted. Abed was happy to tell him about it all, the paintball movies he’d shot at Greendale, the video game he’d started working on, and all his other projects, trying to tiptoe around any mentions of the rest of the study group. After a while Brad paused, looking at a picture of the group hanging on the wall, from the last time they were all together. It was December 10th, but they all celebrated Christmas together that day. After a minute, Brad stopped and turned to Abed.

“I fucking hate you. So much. If I thought we could pass for each other, and that I could actually beat you in a fight, I’d kill you and take your place.” Brad said, and looking into his eyes Abed knew at least a part of him meant it. “You’ve got Troy and Britta around, and Annie and Shirley are only a call away. I haven’t spoken to any of them in years, and my relationship with Jeff might be the worst of them all. Then I show up here and Jeff’s yours, _forever_. I didn’t even have mine for a second.” Brad said, looking pointedly at the poster for Modern Vampirism where it was hung over Abed’s desk, glaring at the clay figures like they’d taken something from him.

“Well he’s still alive, right?”

“Alive’s a strong word for it. And I haven’t heard from him since I left.”

“Well my Jeff didn’t know he wanted me till I’d already kissed him. Maybe yours is the same.” Abed said.

“I think Evil Jeff would kill me if I ever tried to make a move on him.”

“Well either way, maybe you can go back and see him. Before it’s too late and all.”

“It’s been too late for me for a long time, Marceline.” Brad said, walking out of the room. “I should really get going.”

“Before you leave, there’s one more thing.” Abed said, putting a finger up and walking to Jeff and Abed’s bedroom. Brad was left standing next to the closet door while Jeff looked at him from the couch. In this moment he looked more like Abed than he had this whole time, eyes darting back and forth and his finger tapping against his leg. They made eye contact for a second before Brad turned away, and Jeff walked over to face him.

“Abed.” Jeff said, looking Brad in the eyes. “Can you just get in touch with him? Please.”

“Don’t call me--”

“I’m gonna do it anyway.” Jeff interrupted.

“He doesn’t want to hear from me.” Brad said, staring at Jeff’s right hand where it rested on his shoulder.

“If he’s anything like me, you’re the only person in the world he wants to hear from right now. When I was too scared to graduate, or trying to kill myself with alcohol and anti-aging pills, it was Abed who came for me. He didn’t even have to actually know he was saving me to save me. And that was all before we were even together.”

Brad chuckled a little. “I’m sure the irony of an immortal almost dying from anti-aging pills isn’t lost on you.” he said sardonically.

“It isn’t, but god, you play a great Jeff.”

“I know.” Brad said with a close-lipped smile. “Lots of practice.”

Jeff wasn’t sure what told him to do it, but he wrapped his arms around Brad, and while they were standing there, chest to chest, he could feel Brad’s heavy breaths and the way his chest shuddered a little, and it almost made him wonder if he was going to cry. It was hard to tell. His Abed had hardly ever cried, at least not nearly as often as Jeff did, so they stayed there for a moment. Brad’s chin rested on his shoulder the way his Abed always did, albeit Brad was a little warmer, with his whole being mortal and all. He stepped back after a few seconds and looked at Jeff, not saying anything. Jeff recognized the expression though, it was one Abed gave him a lot, when he wanted something but couldn’t just ask, so he looked up at Jeff with pursed lips and wide eyes. Jeff took the hint and leaned down, tilting his head to meet Brad’s lips, and placed a hand on the back of his head, the long curls there an odd reminder that this wasn’t Abed. He kissed like Abed, but not really. Jeff couldn’t figure out what that meant, till he realized that this was how Abed used to kiss him, a million years ago when things between them were nervous and unsure and half-committed. They separated and Jeff looked into Brad’s dark eyes.

“I’m not quite sure why I did that.” Jeff muttered.

“Because I wanted you to.” Brad said back, no grin this time, just long fingers reaching out to adjust Jeff’s shirt.

Jeff shifted nervously when he realized his Abed had left the bedroom and was studying them both with wide eyes.

“I mean I figured it’s not really cheating if it’s still you, and he gave me the look.” Jeff said.

Abed nodded in understanding. “It’s alright. He needed it. You’re mine forever, I can share for a minute.”

“How about a few minutes?” Brad asked, pressing his fingertips together and raising his eyebrows at Abed.

“Don’t push it.” Abed said as Jeff told him, “Maybe another time.”

Abed shrugged and walked over to Brad, opening his hand and placing something into his palm. Brad looked at him for a long second before even looking down, already knowing what it was.

“You kept it for this long?”

“I could never get rid of it.” Abed answered, glancing down at the die in Brad’s hand, which was really his hand, just a little older. “But I thought maybe it’d help you let go, just a little.”

Brad didn’t say anything to that, just turned the die in his hands until the one was facing him. “Only you’d know that I would even want this.” Brad said, looking over the die and into Abed’s eyes. “I tried to find it after that night, but the apartment was half-destroyed and it was thrown away.”

…

“Well that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever come home to.” Jeff said.

“Weirder than when I was shooting that short film?” Abed asked.

Jeff laughed. “Somehow you managed to beat when I opened the door to you filming two girls making out on our kitchen table.”

“Don’t knock it, that actually turned out pretty good. Not my fault you walked in at the worst possible time.”

“Either way, this was a kind of insane night. I’d think I was crazy if you hadn’t seen him too.”

“I was a little surprised you _could_ see him.” Abed said. “But I’m sort of happy he came.”

“Me too, actually. But it’s pretty fucked up over there.”

Abed glanced at the dreamtorium door like he was willing it to swing open. “Yeah, I hope things can turn around for them. Made me realize how lucky we are though.”

“I didn’t even really think about the fact that there were timelines when we didn’t end up together.” Jeff said, putting a hand on Abed’s knee.

“I always thought we were unlikely.” Abed answered, but he didn’t elaborate on that. “I think I was scared before. I always thought us outliving our friends was a curse. And I guess the knowledge of it will always haunt me, at least a little, but we’ve already had years together that they never got in that timeline.”

“That’s a much better way to think about it than we have been.” Jeff said, placing his hand on Abed’s, and it was true. “I mean they’re still getting older, and we still aren’t but—” He stopped, not sure how to put it into words.

“At least they _are_ getting older.” Abed said. “And we’re here with them.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Jeff sighed. “Do you think he’ll be alright?”

Abed looked back over, and the door was open just a crack to reveal the darkness of the empty closet. “I hope so.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I have a lot of other stuff I'm working on so im happy to b gettin this guy out. As always im also jabedalien on tumblr!


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